TSPN

Thrombospondin N-terminal -like domains.
TSPN
SMART accession number:SM00210
Description: Heparin-binding and cell adhesion domain of thrombospondin
Interpro abstract (IPR001791):

Laminins are large heterotrimeric glycoproteins involved in basement membrane function [ (PUBMED:15037599) ]. The Laminin G or LNS domain (for Laminin-alpha, Neurexin and Sex hormone-binding globulin) is an around 180 amino acid long domain found in a large and diverse set of extracellular proteins [ (PUBMED:1975589) (PUBMED:9480764) ]. The laminin globular (G) domain can be found in one to several copies in various laminin family members, including a large number of extracellular proteins. The C terminus of the laminin alpha chain contains a tandem repeat of five laminin G domains, which are critical for heparin-binding and cell attachment activity [ (PUBMED:10747011) ]. Laminin alpha4 is distributed in a variety of tissues including peripheral nerves, dorsal root ganglion, skeletal muscle and capillaries; in the neuromuscular junction, it is required for synaptic specialisation [ (PUBMED:15823034) ]. The structure of the laminin-G domain has been predicted to resemble that of pentraxin [ (PUBMED:9480764) ].

Laminin G domains can vary in their function, and a variety of binding functions have been ascribed to different LamG modules. For example, the laminin alpha1 and alpha2 chains each have five C-teminal laminin G domains, where only domains LG4 and LG5 contain binding sites for heparin, sulphatides and the cell surface receptor dystroglycan [ (PUBMED:10747011) ]. Laminin G-containing proteins appear to have a wide variety of roles in cell adhesion, signalling, migration, assembly and differentiation. Proteins with laminin-G domains include:

  • Laminin.
  • Merosin.
  • Agrin.
  • Neurexins.
  • Vitamin K dependent protein S.
  • Sex steroid binding protein SBP/SHBG.
  • Drosophila proteins Slit, Crumbs, Fat.
  • several proteoglycan precursors.

Family alignment:
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There are 10670 TSPN domains in 10645 proteins in SMART's nrdb database.

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